sixteen-bit
Member
Will is already in so why not Jaden?
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Disney is struggling to cast its live-action Aladdin.
- Thread starter torre_avenue
- Start date
Yes and no, Middle Eastern people are diverse in skin color, while there aren't many that are almost Anglo Saxon, a lot of them will be considered white passing in the west, and even then, they still have distinct semitic facial features.
I never would have thought of it but he'd perfect for the magic flying carpet.
SliceSabre
Banned
I'm so cynical I just read all that as "Here's our excuse when we cast some white guy and girl as Aladdin and Jasmine."
vinnygambini
Why are strippers at the U.N. bad when they're great at strip clubs???
Maybe Avan Jogia for Aladdin?
Hot take incoming: I can't help but feel a wave of unease when they talk about arabs and Indians like they are interchangeable. It's not enough to just be 'brown enough'. It's like trying to pass off Korean as Japanese. Just because most of western audiences can't tell the difference doesn't make it right.
HappyPuppy
Member
...ok, now I want to see hot Indian actors in the big screen, make it happen Disney.
Right.
But then that leads to the next two questions: 1) for casting actors in film and TV, what level of racial, ethnic, or national specificity must you drill down towards for the casting to be acceptable, and 2) why is that chosen level acceptable?
UnemployedVillain
Member
Well we are talking about a fictional "brown" country that pulls in elements from a bunch both Arab countries and India
This is obviously all a preamble to "Hey guys we tried really hard! Unfortunately none of the auditions were right for the role but hey, good news! Please look forward to Justin Bieber's first big Disney blockbuster debut as Aladdin and Emma Stone as Jasmine! Did you know she's actually 1/16 of middle eastern descent?"
Aladdin is based on a fictional town in Baghdad, people in Baghdad are Semitic, so they should cast people with Semitic ethnicities, pretty simple.
e.g: Arabia, Iraq, Levant, and parts of North Africa.
Just white wash the whole thing. Cruise is Aladdin, John Goodman is the Sultan, Tilda Swinton for Jafar and so on.
I think accurately representimg a decidedly under-represented race onscreen would be the goal. I.E., if the character is an Arab hero or an Indian historical figure, cast an Arab or an Indian in that role. Especially if it calls for a native speaker.
I suppose. If the casting call is less specific (IE, it's not taking place in Arabia or India, per se) then you have leeway.
True. Though I'd also point out that Aladdin is traditionally an Arabic name, too. Hell, my cousin's named Aladdin....hmm.....
No, he can't act.
Hell I'd throw Persian in there, except they'd just cast Jake fucking Gyllenhaal again.
ChockaBlocka
Neo Member
That's what I wonder about when hearing Indian actors are being considered for Aladdin. Is there some history there I don't know about or is it that most Americans or Chinese (because those are the largest film markets) can't tell them apart? Or is Disney still worried about anti-Arab sentiment in the U.S. that they think "close enough".
It's strange because Indians look nothing like Arabs to me. Even out of South Asians I I'd say Afghans & Pakistanis looks closer to ME people than Indian people do.
lightskintwin
Banned
It's an issue that's going to have to be dealt with as more non Black/White actors get cast in Hollywood films.
If Asian Americans are going to have a career in Hollywood, then you're probably going to to see a specific ethnic Asian playing another ethnic Asian.
In Training Day, you had an actor of Maori descent play a Mexican.
You also had Jennifer Lopez (Puerto Rican) play Selena (Mexican).
clearacell
Member
if they were looking for just "brown" this would have been cast ages ago. they are looking for middle eastern descent and I'm sure it's difficult because of their standards being so high for a small pool of talent of actors since middle eastern people don't get roles so acting isn't a viable career choice.
Here you go Disney
Omar Borkin Al Ghala.
Omar Borkin Al Ghala.
Kicked out of SA for being too handsome https://www.google.com/amp/www.inde...re-too-sexy-for-saudi-arabia-8590104.html?amp
"We really tried."
Sunster
Member
it is, there are 7 billion people in the world and they can't find a male, Arab, actor but The OA can drop a line for an Asian, trans, teen and get someone in that role within a month? foh.
xDUMPWEEDx
Banned
Yeah, it's very bizarre. Do some people really have a hard time telling PoC apart?
I'll pick two random Arab & Indian celebrities.
Do they look the same to some people?
Trivia: The above Arab actress is called Yasmine aka. Jasmine.
lightskintwin
Banned
Yeah, it's very bizarre. Do some people really have a hard time telling PoC apart?
I'll pick two random Arab & Indian celebrities.
Do they look the same to some people?
Trivia: The above Arab actress is called Yasmine aka. Jasmine.
If you remove the ethnic garb and accessories off of the Indian celebrity, the differences wouldn't be that big in playing a role like Jasmine for Western audiences.
Random Human
They were trying to grab your prize. They work for the mercenary. The masked man.
That was my reaction. They're laying the groundwork so when they announce one or more white actors it won't be received like Ghost in the Shell casting was. (It will be, though)
patrickthehedgehog
Member
And this is why animation is better than live action. I hate that they're so fixated at making all their old movies this way.
More celebrities, wearing neutral clothes.
Arab
Indian
You can't tell me they're the same ethnicity.
BreezyLimbo
Banned
Here you go Disney
Omar Borkin Al Ghala.Kicked out of SA for being too handsome https://www.google.com/amp/www.inde...re-too-sexy-for-saudi-arabia-8590104.html?amp
he's an actor too
sign him up
lightskintwin
Banned
Of course they're not the same ethnicity, but brown people can look like a lot like other brown people. Just like white people. Just like black people. Just like Asians. You can "act" a different ethnicity which probably won't be important here, due to Disney's Aladdin's sensibilities.
Hell, they're are a lot of mixed race people that can look like Middle Eastern, North African people.
Zoe
Member
Yeah, it's very bizarre. Do some people really have a hard time telling PoC apart?
I'll pick two random Arab & Indian celebrities.
Do they look the same to some people?
Trivia: The above Arab actress is called Yasmine aka. Jasmine.
Of course they don't literally look the same, but India is a highly varied country, so who am I to claim that one looks Indian and not the other? Throw dark Latinos into the mix and it gets even harder. Read through the SM:Homecoming thread and count how many people thought Flash was Indian. How many times has Shohreh Aghdashloo played the token Indian character?
Just because they can look the same to some people, doesn't mean that they should just ignore ethnicity and go "all browns are the same".
lightskintwin
Banned
No, but if you have a Brown actor who looks Arab and has the look they want, and can act, sing, dance, and fluently speak English the way they want. Then he shouldn't be overlooked because he's not technically Arab.
In Hollywood, ethnicity is ignored when casting White and Black actors.
Here you go Disney
Omar Borkin Al Ghala.Kicked out of SA for being too handsome https://www.google.com/amp/www.inde...re-too-sexy-for-saudi-arabia-8590104.html?amp
lol
I googled this dude, his instagram is hilarious. All of his pictures are airbrushed as hell.
I'll never get the obsession Hollywood has now with using the actor's voice for singing when a substitute voice would work well and open up more opportunities. For every Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables or... Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables you get a Russel Crowe, Pierce Brosnan or Emma Watson.
...nah but seriously though Hollywood's lack of diversity has come to bite them in the ass. Watch them just CGI Aladdin and have Tom Hanks or someone voice.
...nah but seriously though Hollywood's lack of diversity has come to bite them in the ass. Watch them just CGI Aladdin and have Tom Hanks or someone voice.
If they dont have One Jump and Friend Like Me in this movie, then I will riot.
Not sure what you're hoping to prove. Neither of these people are some wholly representative average of people from within their respective countries. Especially when you consider the diversity within just India itself. As far as Hollywood is concerned, if actors of color hope to have any opportunities, they're going to have to try and pass where they can. I've been mistaken for Hispanic before, and I'm Pakistani but used to speak relatively recent Spanish. If I could use that to worm my way into getting a role, you bet your ass I would.Yeah, it's very bizarre. Do some people really have a hard time telling PoC apart?
I'll pick two random Arab & Indian celebrities.
Do they look the same to some people?
Trivia: The above Arab actress is called Yasmine aka. Jasmine.